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Which is correct? You are one of the people who has or have helped me.

Mari-Lou A
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Rosemary Sekel
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2 Answers2

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Either is correct, depending on the subject. Has is used when the subject is singular, have is used when the subject is plural.

For example:

You are one of the people who has helped me.
(meaning: Out of a group of people, you are one who has helped me.)

You are one of the people who have helped me.
(meaning: There is a group of people who have helped me, and you are one of them.)

shakeypress
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  • That makes sense - I also like - You are ONE OF THE PEOPLE who has helped me. (meaning: You are SOMEONE who has helped me.) – Troy Thompson Jan 29 '17 at 05:14
  • This is misleading. The subject of the sentence is you, which is singular because the complement one is singular. The subject of the relative clause is who, but its number is determined by its antecedent, which is (as you've pointed out) either You or people. – deadrat Jan 29 '17 at 05:18
  • @deadrat: what? Isnt' the antecedent either "one" or "people"? I don't see how it can be "you". – herisson Jan 29 '17 at 16:05
  • @sumelic It doesn't matter since You = one. – deadrat Jan 29 '17 at 20:23
  • @deadrat: The thing is that if "you" were the antecedent, I would expect subject-verb person agreement to be possible. "You" is not third-person. We can say things like "The one who helped me was you, who have my gratitude." – herisson Jan 29 '17 at 20:28
  • @sumelic That doesn't strike me as right, unless you is plural. – deadrat Jan 29 '17 at 20:47
  • @deadrat: consider Is “It is you who are mistaken!” correct? and linked questions about similar sentences. – herisson Jan 29 '17 at 21:11
  • @deadrat: See for example "Yet inside the window is the person who is you, who are now looking out, shifted from the observer to the inside person and this shows in your work." ("Shifting Persona", Barbara Guest, in *Poetics Journal Digital Archive* edited by Lyn Hejinian, and Barrett Watten) – herisson Jan 29 '17 at 21:22
  • @sumelic I'll defer to John Lawler, and I'll have to admit that you who is has started to sound a bit off to me. You who are is preferred by about 7:1 according to the Ngram viewer (Insert obligatory caution here). I had hoped that the first person would be dispositive, but I'll accept "I who is blameless" and "I who am blameless". YMMV – deadrat Jan 29 '17 at 21:31
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Have is the correct form to use. People is plural hence have is the correct version. Your sentence requires the 'have' verb. Because it is a relative clause that modifies the noun 'people'. :)

Theprimer
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  • It's ambiguous. The relative clause might modify the subject you, which is singular, or the complement people, which is plural. – deadrat Jan 29 '17 at 05:19